What is the so-called “American Dream?” What does it involve? How is it achieved? How achievable is it?

This question asks readers to critically and thoughtfully examine what they understand or believe about a key aspect of the book’s core themes. The existence of, and belief in, the “American Dream” is a fundamental part of the author’s analysis, arguably in much the same way as it is a fundamental part of the mindset of any American. She makes this point explicitly at a couple of times in the narrative, suggesting that the “American Dream’s” perspectives on hard work and success are in some way admirable, but in other ways are actual somewhat dangerous. This, she also suggests, is because belief in the “American Dream” tends to trigger life-defining beliefs and certainties related to the presence of opportunity and the inevitability that any opportunity can...